Machine tool



Dec. 13, 1949 M. E. LANGE 2,491,381

MACHINE TOOL Original Filed Jan. 23, 1942 I INVENTOR.

BY MAX 5 Z 147N615 i m Z/W $1M ATTORNEY5 Patented Dec. 13, 1949 MACHINETOOL Max E. Lange, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignor to The Warner &Swasey Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Continuation ofapplication Serial No. 427,951,

filed January 23, 1942. October 10, 1945, Serial No. 621,440

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a stop means for a movable member of a machinetool as, for example, a stop screw for limiting the movement of a slide.

This application is a continuation of my application Serial No. 427,951,filed January 23, 1942, now abandoned.

More particularly the invention relates to an adjustable stop means ofthe character specified, and especially to an arrangement forfacilitating the efficient adjustment of said means and the locking ofthe same in adjusted position.

It is customary in machine tools to provide adjustable means, such as astop screw, for determining the amplitude of movement of a movable partof the machine tool such as a tool or work holding slide. Machine toolsin certain instance are provided with a single adjustable stop means orscrew, while in other instances they are provided with multipleadjustable stop means or screws usually carried by an indexible memberas, for example, an indexible stop roll.

The present invention is applicable to any form of adjustable stopscrews for machine tools, whether a single stop screw or multiple stopscrews.

The principal object of the invention is to provide in a machine tool animproved mounting for an adjustable stop screw such that the adjustmentof the screw and the locking of the same in adjusted position arefacilitated.

Heretofore it has been customary in machine tool practice to mount anadjustable stop screw in a threaded bore in a part of the machine tooland to provide a set screw to lock the adjustable stop screw in variousadjusted positions. This arrangement necessitates rotating the stopscrew a large number of turns in order to effect a substantialadjustment thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improvedmounting and locking means for an adjustable stop screw for a machinetool, such that the locking means can be relieved quickly, whereupon thestop screw can slide bodily to an approximate adjusted position, afterwhich the locking means can be slightly tightened and then the stopscrew can be rotated slightly to final adjusted position, whereupon thelocking means can be restored to fully locked position to clamp the stopscrew in finally adjusted position.

A more specific aspect of the invention is to provide in the mountingfor the stop screw means for adequately taking the end thrust exertedThis application filed on the stop screw when it contacts with itsabutment.

Further and additional objects and advantages will become apparentduring the detailed description which isv to follow of an embodiment ofthe invention.

Referring to the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view on a reduced scale of amachine tool and shows the cross slide carriage provided with a stoproll which carries multiple stop screws mounted and locked by anarrangement embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view, on a larger scale than Fig. l, of thecross slide carriage and feed control lever with a portion cut away toshow certain of the operative parts.

Fig. .3 is an end elevational View of the stop roll shown in Fig. 2 andon a larger scale and is taken from the left of Fig. 2 looking towardthe right, a portion of the stop roll being broken away along line 3-3of Fig. 5 and showing in section the mounting and locking means for oneof the adjustable stop screws carried by the stop roll; said lockingmeans being shown in partially locked position.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing only that portion of thestop roll which carries the adjustable stop screw and locking means thatis shown in section in Fig. 3, with the parts of the locking means infully locked position, and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view partly insection and partly in elevation and is taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 3looking in the direction of the arrows.

The embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing is applied by wayof illustration to the multiple adjustable stop screws of the indexiblestop roll carried by the cross slide carriage of a turret lathe. It willbe understood, however, that the invention is applicable to single ormultiple adjustable stop screws used in machine tools in various otherrelationships for regulating the length of movement of a movable part ofthe machine tool such as a turret slide, a cross slide or any otherslidable part of the machine tool.

Referring to Fig. l, the headstock of the turret lathe which carries thework spindle is indicated at I0, while the cross slide carriageindicated at H is movable longitudinally along the ways of the bed l2toward and from the headstock, as will be well understood. The apron E3of the cross slide carriage is shown as provided with a feed controllever l4 having a handle portion lea and indicating that the feedingmovement of the cross slide carriage, in this instance, is poweroperated by the feed shaft l5, which latter shaft is operativelconnected with the work spindle in the headstock ID as will be wellunderstood. It should be borne in mind, however, that the manner inwhich the cross slide carriage is operated in nowise afiects the presentinvention and that the feeding movement of said carriage may be impartedthereto manually or in any other suitable manner.

The apron I3 of the cross slide carriage is provided with an indexiblestop roll l6 which may be indexed manually or automatically in relationto the indexing of the turret on the cross slide as desired and as willbe well understood. The stop roll 18 may be in the form of an elongatedthick Walled sleeve, (see Figs. 2 and rotatably supported in the apronof the cross slide carriage and said stop roll extends outwardly of theleft hand end of the apron as viewed in the drawing. 7

It will be understood that the indexing of the stop roll is effectedthrough the rotation of the same and that the stop roll is held in itsvarious indexed positions by means of a spring detent I'i engaging inone or another of a plurality of circumferentially spaced elongatedrecesses it formed in the stop roll, see Fig. 2.

The stop roll in the present illustration is provided with sixadjustable stop screws 19 spaced circumferentially of the stop roll andhaving their abutment-engaging ends located beyond the left hand end ofthe stop roll and in position to consecutively engage an adjustable stoprod 251 normally stationarily carried on the front side of the headstockHi.

It will be understood that during the different operative steps in thework cycle of the machine the cross slide turret is indexed to present adifferent cutting tool to the Work piece and the cross slide carriage isfed toward the work spindle to feed such tool along the work piece.

Near the completion of the feeding movement the stop screw 19 which isin axial alignment with the stop rod 25} contacts the end of said rodand and the stop roll is shifted relative to the apron toward the right,with the result that the cam shoulder 2| on the stop roll presses thereleasing pin 22 outwardly against spring pressure to automaticallyrelease the feed control lever M and stop the power feed drive to thecross slide carriage.

In order to complete the cutting operation of the tool on the work piecethe cross slide carriage may be fed slightly by means of the hand wheel23, as will be well understood, until the shoulder 24 on the stop rollpositively engages the shoulder 25 on the apron of the cross slidecarriage.

The thickened wall of the stop roll in this instance is provided withsix circumferentially spaced smooth bores which slidably receive thestop screws 9. The stop roll 16 is provided with a circular groove 2'!which slidably supports six shoes 28 provided with inverted U-shapedlower end portions which straddle the stop screws !9 and have segmentalthreaded surfaces 29 which contact the threaded portions of the stopscrews. The walls of the groove 2? are perpendicular to the axes of thebores 26 and form guiding surfaces for the shoes 28 suflicient in extentto adequately take the end thrust on the stop screws when the latter arelocked in position and engage the stop rod 2%. The corners of theinverted U-shaped portions are beveled to allow the shoes to beassembled in the stop roll. The shoes 28 have reduced outwardlyextending portions 39 received in an internal recess of the locking nuts3|. The reduced portions 30 of the shoes are provided with externalannular grooves 32 through which extend pins 33 carried by the lockingnuts 3|, it being noted that the grooves 32 are of such width withrelation to the diameter of the pins 33 that there is an endwise lostmotion connection between the reduced portions 38 of the shoes and thenuts 3|. The portions 30 of the shoes are provided with longitudinallyextending recesses 34 in which are located coil springs 35 abutting theend of the bores in the nuts 3! and acting to urge the shoes in adirection to maintain the pins 33 in contact with the outermost wall ofthe grooves 32 as clearly indicated in Fig. 3. Of course the stop screwto be adjusted must be in line with the stop rod and hence located atthe top of the stop roll, so that gravity acts on the shoe to urge ittoward the stop screw. The nuts 3| are screwed into threaded openings 36formed in a sleeve ring 3'! secured in an external annular recess formedon the stop roll IE or in any other suitable manner.

It will be seen that when the screws 35 are screwed downwardly in theopenings 36 the lower ends of the nuts move from the position shown inFig. 3 into contact with the shoulders on the shoes 23, as indicated inFig. l, and positively move the shoes and the segmental threadedsurfaces 23 thereof into tight engagement with the threaded portions ofthe adjustable stop screws l9, thus locking the stop screws againstrotation and endwise movement and in finally adjusted "1 position.

When it is desired to adjust one of the stop screws the proper nut 3! isscrewed outwardly of its opening as until the pins 33 abut the outerwall of the groove 32 and then continuing the unscrewin movement of thenut 3! the shoe 28 associated therewith is moved radially outwardly thusdisengaging its segmental threaded surface 29 from the threaded portionof the stop screw :9. When this has taken place the stop screw can beslid endwise and bodily to an approximate adjusted position, after whichthe nut 3! is screwed inwardly to bring the segmental threaded surface29 of the shoe 28 into light engagement with the threaded portion of thestop screw. When this has taken place the stop screw may be finallyadjusted by slightly rotating the same. After the final adjustment ofthe stop screw has been obtained the nut 39 is further screwed inwardlyto the position indicated in Fig. 4 to move the shoe 28 and the threadedsegmental surface 28 thereof into tight gripping engagement with thethreaded portion of the stop screw l9 to lock the same in finallyadjusted position and prevent any rotative or endwise movement beingimparted thereto.

The advantages derived from the use of the present invention areevident, and particularly so when it is recalled how stop screws havebeen adjusted heretofore. As already pointed out, it has been thepractice to mount such stop screws in threaded bores with the resultthat the stop screws must be rotated many turns to impart adjustingmovement thereto, particularly in those instances where it is desired togive a large adjustment to the stop screw, as for example an adjustmentof several inches or more.

The present invention, on the other hand, enables the stop screw to beadjusted quickly and without the necessity of rotating the screw a greatmany times, since the major part of the adjustment can be accomplishedthrough the bodily sliding movement of the stop screw to its approximatelocation, after which a slight rotation of the screw will suffice toposition it in its finally adjusted location.

Under the old practice it frequently happened that the exposed threadedportion of the stop screw accumulated dirt and other foreign matterwhich hindered the free rotation of the screw in the theaded bore foradjustment purposes and required frequent cleaning of the screw prior toadjustment or considerable force to turn the screw to adjust it. Thepresent invention obviates any likelihood of a similar condition tohinder the ready adjustment of the stop screw, since the screw is bodilyslid to its approximate adjusted position after it is engaged lightly bythe shoe and can be turned freely to finally adjusted position.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustratedand described herein it will be understood that the invention issusceptible of various modifications and adaptations within the scope ofthe appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a machine tool, a member having a bore, a threaded stop screw forstopping the movement of a movable element of the machine tool in apredetermined position and freely movable axially and bodily in saidbore for approximate adjustment relative to said member, said memberhaving an opening communicating with said bore, a shoe movable in saidopening and adapted to engage said screw, actuating means carried bysaid opening, and cooperating means on said actuating means and saidshoe providing an operative connection therebetween such that saidactuating means can move said shoe in opposite directions andtransversely of said screw, said member and said shoe having cooperatingportions engageable with said stop screw on diametrically opposite sidesthereof, with one of said cooperating portions being provided with asegmental threaded surface adapted to cooperate with the threads of saidstop screw and with the other of said portions being smooth, whereforesaid shoe may be moved by said acuating means into engagement with saidscrew to cause said threaded portion to cooperate with the latter orsaid shoe may be moved in the opposite direction to disengage it fromsaid screw and permit free axial bodily movement thereof.

2. In a machine tool, a member provided with a. smooth bore and havingan opening communieating with said bore, a threaded stop screw forstopping the movement of a movable element of the machine tool in apredetermined position and freely slidable in said bore for approximateaxial adjustment therein, a shoe movable in said opening and having athreaded surface engageable with the threads of said stop screw, anactuating member in said opening, and cooperating means on saidactuating member and said shoe constituting an operative connectionthere-between to enable said shoe to be moved in opposite directions toengage the threaded surface of the shoe with said threaded stop screw orto completely disengage said threaded surface of the shoe from thethreaded stop screw to permit sliding movement of the latter in saidbore.

3. In a machine tool, a member provided with a smooth bore and having anopening communicating with said bore, a portion of said opening beingthreaded, a threaded stop screw for stopping the movement of a movableelement of the machine tool in a predetermined position and freelyslidable in said bore for approximate axial adjustment therein, a shoemovable in said opening and having a threaded surface engageable withthe threads of said stop screw, an actuating nut threaded in thethreaded portion of said opening, and cooperating means carried by saidnut and shoe and constituting an operative connection there-between toenable said nut to move said shoe in opposite directions to engage thethreads of said shoe with the threads of said stop screw or tocompletely disengage the threads of said shoe from the threads of saidstop screw to permit the latter to have free endwise sliding movement insaid bore.

MAX E. LANGE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 969,433 Wigglesworth Sept. 6,1910 1,205,970 Barrell Nov. 28, 1916 1,245,653 Wood Nov. 6, 19171,383,658 Olivier July 5, 1921 1,578,197 Keyes Mar. 23, 1926 2,006,144Lovely June 25, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,831 GreatBritain 1908

